Amtrak Empire Service (New York State)

Greg Moore wrote:

Railjunkie wrote:

Greg Moore wrote:Previously the Coast Guard required I believe 110' at high tide for clearance all the way to Troy.

However, the lift mechanism (and later towers) for the Rte 378 bridge a few miles north. I believe now it's only about 80' above the river. Based on the other bridges in the area, I suspect 80' or so is still the lower limit.

I believe the 378 bridge is no longer in service. The only time LAB gets swung regularly is for the Captain JP. Not much left north of the bridge for barge traffic. LAB is rarely if ever is swung during the winter months. The operators/clerks get to spend the winter months as delay clerks.

Umm, I drive over the 378 bridge on a regular basis. It's in service.
But I realize the source of the confusion. I left out "removed" in the above sentence. The 378 bridge LIFT mechanism and towers have been removed, but the bridge itself is still fairly high above the water and in service. I believe the requirement is still much higher than LAB. I don't think a lift bridge is feasible.

As for taking down the cooler building. Nope, not going to happen. Any new bridge will have to pretty much go where the current one is.

In the conversation I wasnt worried about driving over the bridge. I meant to say it was no longer in service as a lift bridge. I think that stuff was removed in the mid 90s, perhaps earlier.

Yeah, as I poorly said, lift mechanism is long gone.

I had to look up some details. the lifts were remove in 1966. The towers they were in removed in 2000.

It and the Patroon Island Bridge downstream are 55'-60' above the waterline (I would have sworn the Patroon was higher)

So that seems to be around the current Coast Guard requirement.

Ultimately, I don't think it matters why kind of bridge, as long as it can allow for the required clearance.

Here is a bit on what is planned for this coming summer. I have also heard that cab cars from Maryland are going to be involved here as well. Here is a link to an article in the Times Union, the first press mention of the FL-9's that I have seen so far. One more thing the Lake Shore will be strictly a Boston operation with a change of trains necessary at Rensselaer for New York. This all should be quite interesting.

https://www.timesunion.com/business/art ... 743850.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Noel Weaver

Sounds like the connector is in bad shape and probably has speed restrictions as well. Surprised this wasn’t stsrted already but at least its being done this year as the project is necessary. Grand Central is further away from railroad connections but is a nicer station.

adamj023 wrote:Sounds like the connector is in bad shape and probably has speed restrictions as well. Surprised this wasn’t stsrted already but at least its being done this year as the project is necessary. Grand Central is further away from railroad connections but is a nicer station.

Tie and ballast maybe a little rail on the Empire. The two biggest pieces are the Empire tunnel and the bridge, both of which are single track one will close the other has a trip to NJ on a barge in its future. The bridge was also run into by a tug and barge a few years ago. knocked stuff around pretty good.

The connector itself is in fairly good shape, there are no speed restrictions at this time. When they do pop up from time to time they are normally on the bridge. Havent seen one on the connector in forever. Maybe once when they shot crete the walls in the rock cut under the GW bridge. there are one or two rough spots around the rock cut and just south of Ivana's curves.

The base pivot for DV took a big hit when Sandy hit,forcing the GCT reroute for "Summer of Hell" round 2, should allow for switch installs on
Main 2 to allow Empire service trains to reach more platforms in NY Penn.
Wonder if the plan is to "float" the movable span of DV to allow easy access to the base pivot?

Where can I get information on the Empire Service suspensions that I have heard are taking place this summer? I can't find any announcements at the Amtrak website. Thanks.

Nothing has been finalized as of yet. From the sounds of it there will slight departure and arrival time changes and I think one or two once a week trains are coming off. Two things for sure. GCT for the summer and its all subject to change at a moments notice.

CPSD40-2 wrote:The track and ride quality on the stretch from ALB down to Hudson is horrible though, usually feels like we're going to fly off the rails.

That stretch still has wood ties, despite being the 110 mph portion of the route. Some of the slower portions have concrete ties. Incidentally, I was surprised to learn from my newly acquired Turboliner book that the first RTL-III hit 144 mph on that stretch in early testing! Not too shabby, especially for off-NEC non electrified track!

Amtrak has no concrete ties on the upper Hudson or Empire connector. You want concrete you gotta go to MNRR.

As for the detour this summer, the bridge is but a small part of the repairs being made, the barge did a fair amount of damage Sandy took care of the rest. The Empire tunnel will be stripped of all track and ties, there may be some third rail work in there also. Some new rail, ties and ballast for the connector. Hopefully they will get rid of 50 and 55 curves

Railjunkie wrote:Amtrak has no concrete ties on the upper Hudson or Empire connector. You want concrete you gotta go to MNRR.

I believe they do on the new second Albany - Schenectady track. But otherwise, yeah, it's the 80 mph and under Metro North track south of Poughkeepsie where you find them.

Yeah thats right moved those tie trains around the yard a few summers ago. Its wood and cement between ALB and SDY. I cant tell the difference in ride quality. The dual modes are pretty well beat up and most ride rough at any speed.

If they’re maintained well (drained, good ballast, tie pads & anchors) wooden ties give a very consistent and smooth ride. They just need renewal and inspection more often, so they don’t drift out of gauge or start rotting. Above 110, I’d trust concrete more, but they should be fine below that.

mtuandrew wrote:If they’re maintained well (drained, good ballast, tie pads & anchors) wooden ties give a very consistent and smooth ride. They just need renewal and inspection more often, so they don’t drift out of gauge or start rotting. Above 110, I’d trust concrete more, but they should be fine below that.

Given the poor performance of concrete ties in some places, concrete ties could use more inspection, also, don't you think?

Two of the MARC cab cars are in Albany they arrived this evening and are currently in the Albany shop.